Trump has led the Republican field for months, confounding GOP leaders and many of his rivals. That’s no surprise at this point.
Advertisement
Republican presidential candidates criticised President Barack Obama instead of each other at a high-stakes debate on Thursday with searing attacks on the Democratic leader’s foreign policy toward Iran and ISIS.
According to this poll, though… not so much.
Donald J. Trump said he would not support any restrictions on gun sales, arguing that the carnage in San Bernardino, Calif., and Paris could have been reduced if the victims were armed.
Who can participate: For the 9 p.m. primetime debate, “a candidate needs to be either among the top six in an average of the five most recent national polls, or among the top five in an average of the five most recent Iowa or New Hampshire polls”.
Rubio will likely take fire for his role in the 2013 immigration debate, while even a strong performance from Bush may not be enough to allay concerns that his campaign is at risk of faltering.
“No place on earth could have handled that more beautifully, more humanely than New York”, Trump said.
Mr Trump was quick to seize on anti-big banks sentiment among many Republicans and attacked Mr Cruz over the loan in an interview on Thursday.
“On issue of citizenship I’m not going to use your mother’s birth against you”, he told Trump.
Then, after Trump said he would want to have Cruz as his vice president, Cruz responded saying he’d be willing to offer Trump the same spot once he wins the nomination.
Dismissing allegations that being born in Canada to an American mother could disqualify him from the presidency, Cruz slammed Trump for politically motivated divisiveness. It’s that a boost from Wall Street runs counter to the populist image Cruz cultivates as the Princeton and Harvard grad who denounces Wall Street bailouts. “And I give you my word, if i am elected president, no serviceman or servicewoman will be forced to be on their knees and any nation that captures our fighting men and women will feel the full force and fury of the United States of America”. Rand Paul of Kentucky refused to join that debate.
In an earlier debate of low-polling candidates, Republicans Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum largely focused their criticism on Democrats rather than each other. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Advertisement
If you’re going to watch one Republican debate in this primary season, the one on Thursday night should be it. Why not wait for the january 28 debate, the last one before the voting starts? Trump shot back: “Because it wouldn’t work”.
